In the light of recent media attention on the discrimination faced by women in plumbing, heating and mechanical engineering it’s good to see that some of the top UK companies and manufacturers are leading the way by backing the first ever national conference for women plumbers and gas engineers.

Polypipe

Polypipe is actively working with Hattie Hasan and Stopcocks Women Plumbers to make the Women Installers Together WIT Conference a reality because we feel that it’s important to encourage more women to pursue careers into plumbing and heating and celebrate those succeeding in it.

With the growth of the construction industry as a whole and the government’s renewed focus on housebuilding, we are about to encounter a skills gap where there are not enough skilled tradespeople to meet demand. We want to work with Stopcocks to break down any remaining barriers that are discouraging women from adding their considerable potential and resources to this growing and rewarding industry.

Home Solutions from John Lewis

The brand new Home Solutions from John Lewis service enables customers to book approved skilled trade professionals such as plumbers, electricians and gardeners using the app, website or call centre. We’re delighted to sponsor the Women Installers Together Conference to celebrate and help grow the female Gas Safe engineers and plumbers sector.

Known for quality and reliability, it’s a natural collaboration between John Lewis and the tradeswomen who share these values. If you’re interested in working for one of the country’s most trusted and respected brands you can learn more at https://johnlewishomesolutions.co.uk/trades

Heating and Plumbing Monthly’s assistant editor, Bethan Grylls, said:

“We approached Stopcocks for a story on women in the plumbing industry – and what we ended up with was so much better. When Mica and Hattie told HPM about the idea to create a conference that celebrates tradeswomen, we were keen to get involved. We now are part of something truly great, something that will hopefully instill change, and through celebrating and creating female role models, inspire a new, younger generation of female installers. Women have long been a minority in this sector, feeling isolated and sometimes made to feel out of place or bad for the superb work that they do – and with any luck, the WIT Conference will help to revolutionise this dated perspective.”

James Hargreaves Plumbing Depot – Bill Davies

‘James Hargreaves (Plumbers Merchants) Ltd have built an enviable reputation over the last four decades based on a commitment to supplying excellent service and the highest quality products.

We are delighted to be sponsoring the Women Installers Together Conference mainly because Hattie, whose brainchild it is has been a customer of ours for nearly 20 years.

We now have several other woman installers holding accounts at James Hargreaves, a growth we would like to see continue and help flourish.

We know that they provide an excellent level of installation, their businesses being built upon customer referral.

Williams & Co – Trade Supplies

‘Since 1972 Williams & Co’s combination of great prices on the best products backed up by exceptional service has catapulted the company forward to become a major regional independent and one of the fastest growing merchants in the UK.

We’re completely transparent; we simply publish our best Trade Only price, and charge the same price to every Trade Only customer. We like to treat all our colleagues with the same respect and the majority of staff are shareholders; we believe that contributes to our great team and excellent service.

We’re delighted to support the WIT Conference through sponsorship as we love working with people who share our values of great service, respect, transparency and team-work.

We treat all our customers equally and want to support this important initiative that celebrates the women creating a level playing field in plumbing and gas engineering.’

Bristan Group Ltd

“Bristan Group are proud to sponsor the Women Installers Together Conference 2017 and celebrate the achievements of women plumbers and installers.

As the UK’s number 1 supplier of taps and showers, it is important that together we continue to promote the excellent service and expertise that women in construction can deliver’

We’re sponsoring this event to help create support and networks for women in the industry.”

Spirotech UK Corine Kuijpers

“As soon as I heard about the WIT Conference, I wanted to support Stopcocks! Being a woman in a male dominated industry, I fully support this initiative.

Spirotech values customer service, has a team of experts on board, and offers top quality. Something Stopcocks and us have in common. We offer a whole range of water treatment products for the HVAC industry; deaerators, dirt separators and large equipment for commercial and industrial applications. Just like Stopcocks, we want to stand out. We do that by manufacturing and distributing a whole range of products with a unique guarantee, and go the extra mile to make systems work more efficiently, and more environmentally friendly. We have our own Research & Development department, who design and test our newest products. Our ongoing training ensures we are always up to date with the latest trends in the industry, and our technical knowledge.”

Vaillant UK

“We are delighted to be supporting the Women Installers Together conference. The event offers a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the hard work and skills of women working in the heating industry.

The conference presents the perfect forum for members of the industry to discuss some of the challenges facing female heating installers today, and identify ways in which we can work together to support them in growing their businesses and developing their skills.

We look forward to the event and encourage all those women working in the sector to come along to join in celebrating their skills and achievements.”

Roca UK Derek Hopwood, National Training Manager at Roca Group

We are delighted to be sponsoring the first Women Installers Together conference. There are a significantly lower proportion of women plumbers as the figures highlighted by Hattie Hasan and Stopcocks demonstrate. It is therefore extremely important that we encourage greater diversity within the industry.

2017 is a momentous year for Roca, as the company marks 100 years as a world leader in bathroom design, manufacture and innovation. Over this time, Roca has always been committed to nurturing the very best talent and promoting equality within the industry.

In that spirit we support the opportunity provided by this conference to raise awareness of the need for more women installers as well as the platform to celebrate those already working successfully within the industry. We are committed to encouraging and empowering women in plumbing and believe this conference will do just that.

Fernox Francine Wickham, Fernox Global Marketing Director, said:

“Fernox is continually looking to support equal opportunities within the plumbing and heating sector. By sponsoring the WIT conference, we hope to encourage more women into the plumbing and heating industry and celebrate the inspiring achievements of female plumbing and heating installers.”